• Provinces in the Dark

    Chapter 1 Kuro’s Mission

    Kuro walked down the hall in the shoguns palace with a slight drag of his foot. He was not happy by any standards. He had just come back from a mission in the next province. Now he was meeting with the shogun.
    "I wonder what he wants to do with me." Kuro said in a whisper. He continued to walk down the hall till he got to the large doors of the shoguns head office.
    He walked in and bowed in front of Goshou. The shogun waved a hand to a chair. Kuro sat and waited for him to begin.
    "Kuro do you know why you are here?" the shogun asked. Kuro sat straighter in his chair.
    "No, I don't know why I am here Master Goshou." Kuro said in the most respectful voice he could muster. Goshou took out a piece of paper and handed it to Kuro to read. As Kuro read the paper a servant came and served some hot tea and cakes.
    The paper read:
    Dear Kuro,
    I need your assistance in Shikoku. I believe that there is an assassin after one of the emperor’s sons. I would need you to guard him twenty four seven. I will send for you if you agree to the requirement. I hope that you will agree to this I need your assistance.
    Sincerely,
    Shotoku
    Official Shogun of Shikoku Province

    Kuro lifted his head to look at Goshou and placed the paper on his desk. He stood and bowed before saying.
    “I will take the job Master Goshou. I will leave in two hours." Kuro began to walk out of the room when the shogun placed a quick and precise hand on his shoulder.
    "Be careful. There are many enemies of these two provinces." Kuro thanked him and left without another word.
    Kuro began to pack his bags as he reached his room. Kuro is a tall ninja at five foot seven inches with black shoulder length hair. He had a medium build not too big and not too small. He wore black pants as well as a shirt slightly tight but he could still move easily in them. His shoes where made of wood with a thin piece of leather between his first and second toe.
    Kuro was ready after an hour and decided not to waste his time sitting there it would be a while to get to Shikoku province. He decided to eat some rice from the night before. He was done and ready to go by the hour. He took one more look at his living space and turned and locked the door.
    As he made his way to the entrance he got the feeling of someone watching him. Kuro ignored it until he was at the entrance. He turned and leaned against the inner part of the entrance. About ten minutes later the carriage pulled up in front of him and he got in without a word.

    Chapter 2 Meeting Someone New

    They traveled with no words exchanged and with no trouble either. As they neared the entrance of the palace Kuro started to gather his bags so as to make a quick exit.
    The carriage stopped in front of the shoguns palace. Kuro got out of the carriage and walked up the stairs to the head office of Shotoku. He knocked on the large mahogany doors. He heard the whispers stop and the door opened.
    "Come in ninja Kuro." A servant said. Kuro walked in with his head down in show of respect. Kuro walked to the front of the large desk and bowed.
    Shotoku waved a hand to a chair and said, "Please have a seat we need to talk about the emperor’s son." Kuro did as he was told.
    "The son's name is Tomoshibi. He is very nice but frail. He can get very emotional at times but is very smart. He does not talk much, actually silent most of the time unless spoken to. Well he should be here in about two minutes." Shotoku said just as Tomoshibi walked in.
    Kuro turned to look at Tomoshibi. He was at least four foot eleven and looked about twelve but he was actually eighteen. He had a slight build but not enough to hurt anyone. He wore a kimono. It was decorated to look of the spring day with sakuras, also known as cherry blossoms, and a forest obi. He had blonde hair that reached his shoulder but was pulled back near the base of his neck. He walked with a grace of a swan. He shoes did not show because of the length of the kimono. To put it short Tomoshibi looked adorable.
    Kuro stood and bowed toward Tomoshibi. He took his hand and kissed the top of it as u should do with all royalty.
    "It is an honor to serve you my prince." Kuro slowly stood up and looked in the eyes of the young prince. He found the eyes of the young prince to be enticing. They were a lovely hazel color like the twilight of the evening sky.
    "I thank you for the service." Tomoshibi said. He turned and nodded to the shogun and the shogun replied with a nod of his own.
    "Prince Tomoshibi you may take my seat I will stand." Kuro said. He stood off a little from the chair as to let the young prince access the chair. Tomoshibi looked up at Kuro and nodded “thanks.”
    "Kuro will you just call me Tomoshibi please?" he asked. Kuro nodded and stood on the right of the chair Tomoshibi now occupied.
    "Tomoshibi this ninja here will be the one to guard you till someone says otherwise." The shogun said and he nodded. Kuro looked down at Tomoshibi slightly mesmerized. He was quite adorable.
    "May I leave now I am feeling rather exhausted?" Tomoshibi asked and the shogun nodded. They left without another word.
    As they reached the carriage Kuro opened the door. Tomoshibi glanced up again at Kuro and stepped in. Their ride went in silence for the longest of time until Tomoshibi decided to speak.
    "Kuro may I ask a question?" he asked. Kuro looked up at Tomoshibi.
    "You may ask whatever you like." Kuro said with slight interest. No one ever really talked to him unless absolutely necessary.
    "I was wondering what it is like to live as a ninja?" he asked in a quiet voice. Kuro raised an eyebrow.
    "A life of a ninja is quite troublesome." Kuro said. Tomoshibi leaned forward slightly.
    "Why?" he asked in a simple voice. Kuro leaned forward slightly as to accommodate the young prince.
    "Well, you see the lives of the ninjas are to kill without mercy. They take lives of people that do wrong but-" Kuro paused as to think of the right words. "But they do assassinations for other people as well." Kuro waited for an expression of disgust or any emotion besides the one he got.
    "Wow! That sounds awful and quite-" Tomoshibi paused to think of the right word, "awesome." Kuro raised the other eyebrow. He had not expected this.
    "I am sorry. I know I am not what you expected of a prince." Tomoshibi bowed his head in disappointment. Kuro stared at him in wonder. Slowly Kuro moved his hand to the underside of his chin and lifted his head. Their eyes met under the twilights end.
    "It is alright. It is fairly odd though." He said as he slid back in his seat. They rode the rest of the way to Tomoshibi's house in silence staring out of the small windows. As they neared the entrance to the palace Kuro stopped the carriage. He opened the door and got out to walk beside the carriage. They made it to the entrance.
    Kuro opened the side of the carriage. Tomoshibi looked down at Kuro and stepped down onto the steps. They made their way up the steps of the beautifully large palace of the prince. As they reached the doors a servant from behind the walls of the palace opened the doors for them.
    As they walked into the courtyard Tomoshibi said in a light voice, “you will be sleeping near my room in the north wing of the house.” Kuro followed Tomoshibi toward the room he would be staying in.
    As they walked Tomoshibi gave him a tour of the north wing. On the right as you walked in the north wing was a rather large study. A dark red desk was placed in the center of a large window. Book shelves were placed on either side of the desk. A little ways down the hall there was a door on the left. Tomoshibi stopped in front of the door and placed a delicate hand on the door.
    “This used to be my best friends room.” He paused as to collect himself and began to walk down the hall again. Kuro followed until they came to his room on the right side of the hall.
    “This will be your room for the duration of your stay on your left down the hall a little further,” he said as he pointed to a door with blood red colored dragons, “is my room. If you need anything come and get me I don’t mind being disturbed. Well I shall go and sleep now I am rather tired from traveling all day.” Tomoshibi turned and headed toward his room as Kuro entered his.
    As he entered he took a second glance around the room. There were a lot of colors in this room. The walls were painted a light purple color with blood red stripes coming down in vertical lines. There was a queen size futon that lay in the center of the floor. They had a dresser to put clothes and such in near the far side of the room.
    Kuro managed to unpack by the time dinner was called. He walked down the hall with prince Tomoshibi. As they rounded a corner they ran into a servant.
    “Prince Tomoshibi I was told to come and get you and the Kuro, but I see that you and Kuro are already to go now. So I will see you at the dining room.” The servant said. She bowed and left them in the hall.
    Kuro and Tomoshibi made it to the dining room in silence not once talking. Tomoshibi sat on the floor at the head of the lining with Kuro on his right. As they ate there was silence, you could hear a pin drop.
    Tomoshibi turned to look at Kuro and said, “Kuro I will be taking a bath after this meal. You can either watch over me or you could go to the springs with me and bathe away all the sweat.” Kuro looked up at the prince.
    “I will bathe in the spring as to keep an eye on you so no one will kidnap you or try to assassinate you either.” Tomoshibi nodded. They both stood up in their spot and turned to go and get their required articles of clothing for the springs.

    Chapter 3 the Disappearance

    Kuro was the first one ready and decided to wait for the prince. He stood near the large entrance of Tomoshibi’s room. He traced the dragons with the tips of his fingers. He traced the final tail of the first dragon as Tomoshibi opened the door to his room.
    “Tomoshibi are you ready to leave for the springs now?”Kuro asked. He nodded his head in conformation and they set off toward the springs. They rounded corner after corner until they finally made it to the entrance of the bathing springs.
    As they walked in Kuro examined the area of the springs. There was a rather large natural hot springs in the middle of the room bordered with rocks. There was steam in the air along with the scent of vanilla and sakuras.
    Kuro turned and looked around for the young prince. He found him already in the water. Kuro had not heard him undress or enter the water since they entered the spring. “He’s good.” Kuro thought as he started to undress as to get in the water to bathe. Tomoshibi turned as to give him privacy. Kuro settled in the water and began to bathe by the time Tomoshibi turned around.
    “So do they know who is after me?” He asked as he bathed under the light of the moon. Kuro turned to look at him. He came closer to Tomoshibi so he would not have to raise his voice.
    “They think it is one of the many enemies of the two provinces, but they are not certain that it is one of them yet. We will know in a few days time as to who is behind this.” Kuro said as he finished. He stepped out of the spring and grabbed a towel. He went to a different room to dry off so that Tomoshibi could wash in peace.
    Kuro turned when he heard a noise come from the spring. He opened the door to find Tomoshibi was not there.
    “No!” Kuro exclaimed he ran out of the other room and into the hall looking for any sign of the young prince, but he only found a water trail. Kuro followed the water till he made it to Tomoshibi’s room. He threw the door open to find a now dressed and sleeping Tomoshibi. Kuro let out breathe that he didn’t know he was holding. He turned to leave as he heard a whimper.
    He turned back around and heard it again. He walked closer to Tomoshibi and found that it was coming from him. He leaned over the bed as to hear what he was saying. Tomoshibi turned over in the bed and began to yell, “Don’t leave me Yoru!” Kuro began to hear sniffles and then Tomoshibi began to cry. He bent over and started to shake the young boy so as to wake him from his violent sleep.

    Chapter 4 Tomoshibi’s Dream

    Tomoshibi began to stir from the violent dream. He shot up in his bed only to knock his head against Kuro’s. Tomoshibi rubbed his head to soothe the pain that was now causing a massive headache. He as he realized what he was dreaming he started to cry again. Tomoshibi curled into a ball in the middle of his bed as to protect him from the darkness of the world around him.
    “Tomoshibi would you like to talk about this dream you were having?” Kuro asked in a kind and gentle voice he reserved for this occasion. He nodded. Kuro sat on the bed and placed a hand on the smaller boys back so as to comfort him. He started to stop crying. Tomoshibi suddenly undid the ball he was in and turned to face Kuro. He lunged at him and cried till he once again fell asleep. Kuro could not move because of the pressure on him and the dead lock the prince had on him. He laid there in the bed and covered them up and waited for dawn to come over the horizon.
    Kuro fell asleep after a few minutes of just laying there. He started to sir when he felt the first rays of sun on his face. He turned to find a face full of hair. He looked down in bewilderment. Then the memories came flooding back from the night before. He tightened his grip on Tomoshibi. ‘What did Yoru do to him?’ Kuro thought. He started to shake him awake so they could talk about it. Tomoshibi opened his eyes to see Kuro. He sat up so he could see at a better angle.
    “Tomoshibi would you like to talk about that dream you had last night?”Kuro asked in a quite and simple voice. Tomoshibi nodded wanting to get rid of the horrid image that had plague him in his sleep. He sat up straighter so to let sleep evade him more quickly. Kuro raised an eyebrow in question. He scooted slower to Tomoshibi and put an arm around his quivering shoulders to calm him.
    “It’s ok. I won’t make you talk about it.” Kuro said as he tightened his grip. He let Tomoshibi sleep for as long as he wanted. When his breathe evened out Kuro left the room. He walked down the hall and into his room to change his clothes. ‘He will tell me when he is ready.’ Kuro thought as he lay on his bed. He lay in bed and continued to lay there till a servant knocked on the door.
    “Kuro your lunch is ready. May I go wake the young prince?” the servant asked. Kuro shook his head “No.” he scooted to the edge of his bed and stood and followed the servant to the kitchen.
    They ate in silence like they would even if Tomoshibi was there. As Kuro started to eat he had a weird feeling that something was amiss. He stood and excused himself from the line.

    Chapter 5 Defeat

    As he walked down the hall he heard a sound from Tomoshibi’s room. Kuro began to run down the hall. As he rounded the corner he saw that the dragons his hands were tracing yesterday were now in splinter on the floor. He ran in the room to see no one, but a hole in the wall on the wall across from where he stood.
    He ran over to the wall and gazed out of it to see if he could get a clue as to where they may be taking him. He found a trail of fine powder that high ranking ninjas like he himself used. He followed the path to an abandoned cave near the jagged rocks of a cliff. He walked carefully to the edge of the cave. He peaked inside to see if he could make anything visual. Kuro stepped a little more in side the cave. As he got deeper and deeper he found that there was a light about fifty feet in front of him. He began to run.
    Once Kuro finally made it to the end he found Tomoshibi still asleep and tied up with a gag in his mouth. He walked up to him and untied him. Kuro started to wake him when someone from behind tried to knock him out but was about an inch off. He turned and faced the assassin. He came face to face with a boy about the same age as Tomoshibi.
    “Why are you after Tomoshibi?” Kuro asked in a demanding voice. The ninja stepped out of the shadows so Kuro could get a better look at him. The unidentifiable man was about five foot six inches with short brown hair. He wore almost exactly what Kuro was wearing except his fit a lot tighter to him than Kuro’s.
    “I am after his kingdom” the stranger said. They both turned their head when the heard a gasp. It was Tomoshibi he had a look of fright on his face. “I see you remember who I am?” Kuro turned to face the new person and then back at the young master.
    “Tomoshibi, who is this person standing here?” Kuro asked while staring him. Tomoshibi’s eyes never left the stranger.
    Tomoshibi’s voice was clear and calm, but his body said otherwise. “This is my friend Yoru. He disappeared about two years ago.” He sat there like he was watching the most amazing thing. The next thing you know you here a clash of swords. It was Yoru and Kuro fighting.
    They made there way toward the end of the cave with sword in quick movement. Tomoshibi came out of the cave just a few feet from the battle that was now taking place. He watched in awe at the feat that was taking place in front of his eyes. Kuro and Yoru looked as if they were dancing on just the air just under their feet. Tomoshibi moved a little toward the cliff to give them some room.
    As they fought with more vigor they stepped closer to the side of the cliff and so did Tomoshibi. There was one loud clashes and Kuro’s sword flew over the edge of the cliff. Tomoshibi tried to catch it but ended up falling over the edge instead.
    “No!” Kuro exclaimed. He stood with a kunai in one hand and ninja star in the other but before he could do any more damage Yoru knocked him out. Yoru turned and began to collect his weapons. He took a final look over the cliff to see if Tomoshibi was still alive but he saw no sign of him.
    “Now I have the kingdom that should have been mine from the beginning.” He said as he walked toward the palace in a steady pace. He grabbed the horse that he placed near the entrance of the cave. Yoru turned and raced of toward the north to Shikoku to take his unrightfully taken place on the throne.